Rugbai Chorca Dhuibhne Recap On Munster Race

From 5pm on Wednesday July 31st the crowd gathered on the Marina in Dingle as word had got round that not one, not two, but eight of Munsters Rugby players were to make their way to Corca Dhuibhne as part of the Great Munster Race.

Courtesy of Niamh Ni Bhaoill, Club PRO

Rugbaí Chorca Dhuibhne's players, from Under 6 all the way through to Senior gathered and waited and the excitement was mounting. At 5.20pm two cars rolled in and out came BJ Botha, Ian Nagle, CJ Stander, Paddy Butler, Sean Dougal, Felix Jones, Denis Hurley and Willie Ryan. The lads were immediately surrounded by a sea of autograph hunting youngsters, delighted parents and crowds of Munster fans.

The lads weren't going to be let off too easily though. They had to work for their keep and before long they were heading out to Dingle bay courtesy of Dingle Bay Charters, to literally fish for their supper.

High winds and massive waves made for a rough enough journey but their competitive streak kept them going and with a bit of support from Fungi the dolphin it wasn't long before the mackerel were being loaded in. Seán Mac an tSíthigh reported on the event for TG4 and it's a miracle that the camera survived! CJ Stander caught his first fish, which means he probably wasn't too experienced at gutting fish either but that had to be done too, and the lads got stuck in! See the TG4 report here: http://www.tg4.ie/en/player/tg4-player.html

Back on dry land the crowd was growing. Dingle shuttle bus provided two minibuses which the lads took over and they took a spin around the Dingle town surprising tourists and locals alike with an invitation to come to the pop-up BBQ at the Marina. Not surprisingly the invitations went down very well and it wasn't long before there was a massive crowd on the quay and a great buzz all around. BJ Botha may not have had sea legs, but he had no problem with the BBQ skills and he helped serve up a tasty supper of freshly caught mackerel.

The lads kindly took the time out to launch a new Rugby 10's competition with a twist, which will be hosted by Rugbaí Chorca Dhuibhne in West Kerry in April 2014. As one of only 3 Gaeltacht based Rugby clubs in the country, Rugbaí Chorca Dhuibhne is proud of our national language and will run this Rugby 10's competition 'as Gaeilge'. All teams will have an Irish language name, the games will be run though Irish, and don't worry, for those of you without the cúpla focal, there will be plenty of support and useful terminology provided to everyone so there will be no problem trying out the cúpla focal.

Denis Hurley and Shane O'Rourke

Before darkness fell the lads made their way to Tigh TP in Baile na nGall where there was mighty evening of music, pool and meeting the locals which was a great end to an unforgettable day. Sincere thanks to Bj Botha, Ian Nagle, CJ Stander, Paddy Butler, Sean Dougal, Felix Jones, Denis Hurley and Willie Ryan for being with us, and for being such great sports. What a fantastic event by Munster Rugby and our thanks go to everyone who helped on the day. Here's hoping that it will become an annual event and that we have the chance to welcome back these great rugby legends, and great gentlemen, very soon. And by the way, congratulations Team 2, for winning the competition, it was great to have been part of it. Maith sibh agus go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.

Following Saturday's Guinness PRO12 win over Connacht at Thomond Park, Munster players gathered in their respective centres in Limerick and Cork today ahead of the first squad session of the week tomorrow.

Still unbeaten at the newly redeveloped Irish Independent Park, Munster will look continue winning ways when they play their final two home games of the regular league season in Cork - starting with Benetton Treviso on Saturday April 25th, KO 3:05pm.